Cotton-chopper.



COTTON CHOPPER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23, 1907.

PATENTED MAR. 31, 1908:

2 sHEBTs-sEET 1.

INVENTOf? 1 DAVID $.BALLAN6E,. 24W Y 7pm (2 6,

A new rs UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID. S. BALLANCE, OF WYSOGKING, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO MARCUS A. BALLANOE, OF WYSOGKING, NORTH CAROLINA.

COTTON-CHOPPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 23, 1907. Serial No. 394,126.

Patented March 31, 1908.

of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements. in Cotton-Choppers, of which t e followingis a specification.

This invention is an improvement in cot-' ton choppers and consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts as.

will be hereinafter described and clalmed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof, parts being broken away. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of the machine, parts" being broken away. Fig. 4 is a front view'of the chopping wheel. "Fig. 5 is a detail section on about line 55 of Fig. 4c, and Fig. 6 is adetail top plan view illustrating the clamp for securing the front rods of the frame for the age wheel, and Fig. 7 is a detail plan view showing gears of different size.

In carrying out the invention, I employ a frame having its outer bars formed pre eraloly from a singlebar of metal, welded,.

scarfed, or otherwise secured to form a complete unbroken frame having the side bars.A, the hack bar A and the curved front bar A. The cross-bar B extends between the side bars A and an'arch bar C also extends behas mounted u on it the wheels E secured to the axle D y clam screws F passing through the hubs E an engaging 't l and facilitating the adjustment of the wheels hereinafter.

1B] along the axle to any desired position. The arch bar C has connected with it a longitudina'l bar G, which extends to and is secured at its rear end to the rear cross-bar A, the bar G having a special construction between ends as more fully described in securin the bars B, C and G, as'well as the bar which extends between the front curved bar A 'and the crossbar B, I prefer to provide flanges at the ends of the several bars B, C and G and and bolt or rivet said flanges to the members with which the several bars connect, as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

The" gage Wheel I is journaled in the frame ,having the rear upright bars J pivoted at their upper ends at J to the framing, and the forwardly and upwardly projecting front bars J 2 whose upper ends extend along opposite sides of the frame bar H and are held thereto by the clamp plates K having seats K for the bars iii-bearing at one end K against the frame bar and clamped together and toward the frame bar H by the bolt K'*, as best shown in Figs. 1- and 6 of the drawings. By this construction the bolt K may be slacked and the bars J be adjusted up or down to set the gage wheel higher or lower, as may be desired, and the said wheel may be secured in such adjustments by tightening the nut on the bolt K as will be readily understood from Figs. 1 and 6 of the drawings.

\ The chopper wheel shaft L is journaled at its front end in a hearing M formed in a bracket M secured to and depending from the L is journaled' in a bearing N in a bracket N secured to and depending from'the bar G, the latter having between its ends a de pending portion G to which the bracket N'is secured, as will be understood from Figs-2 and 3 of the-drawings.

In journaling the shaft L, I provide its ends with tenons which are so formed, see Fig. 3, as to permit the longitudinal moveon the shaft L may be adjusted into and out of engagement with the bevel gear D on'the axle D. The bevel gear D is secured upon the axle D b the screw D so the said gear D may be set a ong the axle to any desired position and the shaft L may be moved longi tudinall from the position shown in Fig. 3 forwardly to move the gear O out ofmesh with the gear D. This is accomplished by means of the lever R pivoted at P, and having its handle arm engaged with a rack P to hold the gears O and D in mesh, and the arm P of the lever P is forked and connects at its I cross-bar B and at its rear end the said shaft ment of the shaft L whereby the bevel gear 0 lower end P with a shifter block Q which is held between thegear O and a collar -L adjustable on the shaft L so the movement of the lever in one direction or the other will force the'shaft L back and forth longitudinally and thus move with it the gear wheel 0-, as well as the chopping wheel more fully.

vided in sets of different sizes and applied totheshaft L. In such case it may be desirableto shift the pivot of the lever P and for this purpose I provide a series of pivot holes P in the bar G and also provide for shifting the gear wheel D along the axle, as may be desired in the operation of the invention. By this construction, the wheel shaft L may be turned at any desired speed relatively to the axle and yet so arranged in respect to the wheel as to permit its adjustment for varying the cut and for thus regulating the stand of plants left in the row, as is desired in the use of machines of this class.

The chopping wheel comprises a hub R having a number of sockets R corres 0nding to the spokes S which are adjustab ysecured in said sockets R by screws R so the said spokes may be turned in their sockets to any desired osition and be held therein when once adjusted.

At their outer ends the spokes S are provided with forwardly inclined portions S, to the front faces of which are secured the hoes T which are thus arranged at an incline flaring qutwardly toward their fi'ee edges at T, the spokes thus forming supports for and means for holding the hoes in position inclined, as before described. It will also be noticed that these hoes are pointed at their front ends at S are curved from end to end in the arc-of a circle, see' Fig. 4, and preferably are set at an incline to the direction of motion of the machine, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. By this con- I struction the hoes may be set to slightly overlap their ends so that the stand will only be that ortion of the row left between the front end of any one hoe and the rear end ofthe next hoe in advance and this distance may be regulated by the rotary adjustment of the spokes in the sockets R, as before described.

'It will be noticed that the outward or flaring inclination of the hoes, as best illustrated in Fig. 5, has a'tendency to not only chop the plants from the row, but also to remove said plants and the soil in which they are bedded in the perforations of the standards U as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings.

I claim 1. The cotton chopper herein described comprising the framing having the outer side bars, the back bar and rounded front bar and provided with the intermediate cross-bars and with a longitudinal bar between the front crossbar and the rounded front bar of the frame, the axle, the wheels, and gear wheel mounted on the axle, the wheel shaft, bearings in which said wheel shaft ma moved longitudinall and rotarily, a ever for moving the shaft, a gear wheel on the wheel shaft and movable therewith whereby it may be set into and out of mesh with the gear wheel on the axle, a frame bar forming pivotal su port for the lever and having a series of ho es for the pivot thereof whereby the lever mayv be adjusted along the frame bar and the chopping wheel havin a hub on the wheel shaft and provided wit sockets, the spokes journaled at their inner ends in said sockets and provided at their outerends with forwardly rojectingportions inclined on their under aces, means for securing the spokes in any desired adjustment in the sockets of the hub,'and the hoes pointed at their front ends, curved from end to end approximatel in the arc of a circle and held tothe incline faces of the outer end portions of the s okes whereby the hoes are inclined forwardl y toward their outer edges, all substantially as set forth.

2. In a cotton chopper a chopping wheel, comprising a hub provided with sockets,

spokes journaled at their inner ends in said sockets and provided at their outer ends with forwardly projecting portions inclined on their under faces, means for securing the spokes in any desired adjustment in their sockets, and hoes pointed at their front ends, curved from end to end a proximately in the arc of a circle and hel to the inclined faces of the outer end ortions of the s okes whereb the hoes are inclined forwar toward t eir outer edges, all substantia y as set forth.

3.5;The combination in a cotton chopper of the frame, the axle, the gear wheel mounted on the axle, the chop er wheel, the shaft geared with said whee bearings in which said shaft may be moved longitudinally and justed along the frame bar, substantially as rotarily, the lever for movin the shaft, the set forth.

gear wheel on the wheel shai t andmovable 3 therewith whereby it may be set into and out of mesh with the gear wheel on the agile, and the frame bar forming a pivotal support 1 for the lever and having a series of holes for the lower pivot whereby the lever may be zul- DAVID s. BALLANOE.

\Vitnesses:

A. B. TUNNELL, W. A. CoBURx.

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